Wendword

Aaahhhhhhh, Pipe Dreams.....

2009-12-15T22:48:00.003-07:00

Merry Christmas from the Elf-liotts!

2009-12-13T23:43:00.000-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Need I Say More?

2009-12-10T10:02:00.002-07:00

This gave me a giggle when I saw it today! What a perfect picture to go with my moods lately.

LOL!

Stepping Back for a Closer Look

2009-12-08T21:02:00.003-07:00

I know I've complained before about the effects that prescription medicines have on my imagination and/or writing. I guess it's an old refrain, but this time seems to be much worse. I'm terribly afraid of sounding like I'm just whining for sympathy, and tell myself 'buck up, little camper!' But that is turning out to be far more difficult than it sounds.

Instead of doubting my imagination, I'm doubting everything about myself. I look at all the wonderful books on my favorite shelf and know that I'll never live up to what's already up there. I think about the authors that I know personally, who are wonderful people that I wish all the very best things in the world, and wonder why they would want to know me.

They say my body will get used to this in time, but it sure doesn't feel like it at the moment. Right now it feels like I should go hide in a corner. My self confidence has plummeted, and my excruciating shyness is returning in tsunami style waves. Worst of all, I'm not even sure it's the drugs. I'm terrified it might be my dream of being a writer slipping away, or the realization that I will never have the talent that it requires. I desperately wonder if I'm the only one who wades through outside influences like these, ones that I have no control over - ones that I have to have in order to live.

So forgive me while I take a short hiatus. I may get a bug up my nose once in a while and post anyway. Heck, my mood might change dramatically within the hour, and I'll erase this whole post. But I've got to give myself some time off to just be, without trying to be something different than what I already am, if that makes any sense at all. I've got to talk to my doctor about these side effects, and pray that's all they are.

They say to be great one should suffer for one's art. If that's true, I should be legendary...

Maybe there's a book in this somewhere.

Comin' Around Again!

2009-12-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

April 23-24, 2010

7th Annual

LDStorymakers

Writers' Conference

Provo, UT

Click HERE for details!

D'oh! You Threw Off My Groove..

2009-11-22T00:56:00.000-07:00

All right, I know I can't really get by with blaming anyone else for my giving up on NaNo. I have to say, though, that despite the fact I won't be winning this year, I do feel quite proud of myself for having written over 20,000 words in a week and a half. If nothing else, that has given me the boost that I needed.

When my husband first went to work as a bus driver, there was no hope of any kind of stability as far as his working hours were concerned. He would find out at 5 pm any given day what he would be working the next day. It could be anything between 3 am and well after midnight, everything in between, and it was never the same thing twice in a row. Several years of senority building later, he finally begin getting halfway decent, regular schedules. So what happened then? They went and made him a trainer. Now he's working with the new greeny drivers, which means, by default, he's back to working extra-board sorts of hours. The only difference, and saving grace, is that as the trainer he gets to decide what sort of chaotic the hours are.

Which, thanks the the downhill effect, means that my life, housekeeping duties, and job as Mom now have no guarantee of any sort of regularity. I literally, have no way to plan a set time to write each day. Makes it really hard when you have to capture a few minutes between Shorty going to sleep and my falling into a welcome coma. Naps are a thing of the past, and putting a movie on doesn't help because I end up watching the movie, too.

*sigh*

What's that song by Louis Armstong? "There must be a way..."

Bad Choice of Words, Honey!

2009-11-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

I was lamenting to my husband today that NaNo has gotten away from me over the last couple of days. Things being as they are, writing has not been as high on my priority list as it was supposed to be when the month started. Sitting on the bed together this morning, I told him:

"I'd need 10,000 words today to catch up."

"What's the most you've ever written in a day?" he asked.

"About 6,000," I answered.

"So you'd have to, like, sit and type all day long to catch up, huh?"

"Yep," I said. "If that's the only thing I did all day, I might have half a chance."

"Well, honey," my darling husband said to me, "It wouldn't be the first time you did nothing all day."

The funeral will be Saturday at 2:00.

The Spirit Is Willing, Doesn't That Count?

2009-11-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

I would love to pull an all nighter tonight. I think it would be great to sit up, in the living room, in my favorite chair - turn off all the lamps and type by the light of my screen. Someone on the NaNoWriMo site suggested buying one of those glow-stick things, shaking it till it glows and writing till it goes out (presumably several hours later) That just seems like the kind of thing that I would have done....

...when I was younger....

... back in the late Jurassic Period...

When did I get too old for adventure? Maybe it would help if I got a hotel room, then I wouldn't feel like I had to keep one ear open for anyone who might need me in the middle of the night.

No, that wouldn't work - who in their right mind would waste a perfectly comfortable hotel room with no distractions by staying awake??? Not this little red hen, that's for sure!

As if NaNo wasn't enough of a challenge, I had to go and make my writing life harder, by...

....are you ready for this?...

...going cold turkey - no more soda! No more caffiene, no more carbonation, no more nothin'! Yeah, I'm an idiot.

So I can't even run over the the store for a two liter of Cherry Coke to help this all-night write take place. Good, healthy intentions - lousy blasted timing.

Is there really a point to this rant? I don't think so. I think it's my version of withdrawls.

Oh, by the way - if you're going to quit soda cold turkey, take my advice - do not substitute 64 ounces of fruit juice! It will help keep you awake, that's for sure, just not in the way you were hoping!!

The Blessings of a Supportive Spouse

2009-11-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

My darling, dear husband took the Short One off my hands completely for the day! (Shorty wasn't so hot on the idea, until Dad took him to a new park - then it was the best idea ever.)

It was a wee bit agonizing, but with the room to 'float' (my word for daydream with no distractions) I was able to get over a hurdle and bang out 4,000+ words.

I've had to get very mean with my I.E. (inner editor). I bound and gagged, then threw her in the closet, but she still kept shouting things at me. "Page two still STINKS - go back and fix it, you numbskull!" Finally to appease her, I turned one of my major characters into a big jerk and made him leave his wife. "Good job! Now she can marry the handsome prince at the end." (Dont' be too mad - I was going to kill him off at first!)

So - at the moment, my word count stands at just under 14,000 words. Not where I'd hoped to be, but a darn sight farther than I was this morning! The goal is still very reachable, even if the stretching does get a little uncomfortable.

Must Be On The Right Track, Everythings Going Wrong!

2009-11-06T21:55:00.001-07:00

Well, it took six days for me to get behind. I'm down, but not out - this isn't that kind of whine.

It's this kind:

How come when you are doing something that is important everything under the sun happens to prevent you, or at least discourage you, from doing that important thing? (Yes, I know that's a run on sentence - stop editing!) Seriously - it happens to me every single time something good is coming. It's the calm before the storm, only in reverse. And it's really, really annoying!

NaNoWriMo started on the 1st of the month - and here's what's been happening in that last week:

Shorty and I saw the doctor - we both have had the respiratory flu, and now we have the stomach flu to go along with. I'm just coughing a lot and mildly nauseated. Danny, on the other hand, has been puking up his heels every evening. It's a little hard to write and hold a little boy who's guts refuse to stay put. (How I can actually DO that is a whole other topic - God gives mothers superpowers, I just know it!)

My husband and I ended up in a huge argument that lasted all day and part of the next. It was stupid. I was right, he was a jerk. (yeah, okay, so that's not really true - it was six of one, half dozen of the other. Hey, I never claimed to be perfect.) I can't write when I'm mad - it just comes out as bad words and complaining.

I sprained my thumb somehow. At least I think I did - I was standing in a second hand shop today and my hand went into this massive cramp. That five hours ago - and I still can't move my left thumb without excruciating pain. Happily it's just my thumb, but that's my space-bar digit, so it slows down the typing a bit.

My nephew (you know the one with the three kids that went on the cross-country adventure with me?) had another crisis. So I spent a while in tears. That's always conducive to writing - if you're working on a Shakespearian tragedy, but not for my current work in progress.

Add to this all a dog that has to be taken out once in a while, a cat that likes to sit on my keyboard and tries to escape every time I take the dog out, having to run interference between dog and boy, dad and boy, boy and anything that might possibly bruise him, dog and anything that might bruise me and the presence of a very necessary bottle of nasty tasting cough syrup and box of kleenex... well, you get the picture.

Once I did sit down to write this evening, with the boy in bed, the dog on the couch and the cat sprawled all over the living room floor - I can't for the life of me figure out how to get the king to the place he needs to be to meet the heroine of the story. He's very nice, but he's very reserved, not the kind of guy to jump off the page and talk to me. What does he need, anyway, an engraved invitation? Where are my voices??? I have no voices in my head - and that, for a writer, is frightening!

exxxxxhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllle.

I ought to just go to bed, get a good night's sleep, and start fresh in the morning. Oh, wait - that won't work. I have to pick my husband up from work at 11 pm. And tomorrow, he works a ten hour shift starting early, so it'll be poor sick me, poor sick, bored little boy, ADHD dog, and escape artist cat all day long.

I should be at 10,000 words. I'm sitting at 7,440. That's not too shabby, all things considered.

I shall overcome.

No, maybe not - but I shall write!

The Race Is Long...

2009-11-02T18:13:00.003-07:00

The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

-Baz Luhrmann

I am not very good at competition. I'd walk a mile around the other way to avoid confrontation. So when I looked at the tallies of everyone on my NaNoWriMo buddy list today, and found myself squarely in the middle of the pack, I felt a moment of despair and avoidance sweep over me.

But this isn't a competition. NaNoWriMo is not about who can get the most words, or get there the fastest. It's about challenging yourself with a goal - one that thousands of people share for themselves as well.

That's what I love about it, and about this group of people who have let me be their buddy. I'm cheering them on (Way to go Nicole, Cheri and LT!! over the 5,000 mark!) and I know they're rooting for me as well. There are people I haven't even met who are arranging write-ins and get togethers to encourage other people they've never met either. We all have a common goal, and though we have to achieve it separately, we're all wanting to help urge others forward with us. How awesome is that?!!

There are few other places on the face of the world I've felt this kind of comraderie, and one is within the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We all have the common goal of getting to Heaven, and though we have to achieve it separately, don't we all feel the need to help urge others to reach their goal of paradise as well?

If only everything in life could be such a vast network of cooperation and support! Can you just imagine what the world would be like then?

And They're Off!!

2009-11-01T15:02:00.001-07:00

I knew it! I just knew it!

NaNoWriMo is going to be good for me!

The first day of NaNo is well underway, and I've exceeded my goal by 100 words. Count for today? 2,101 words!

Yay NaNo! Yay Me!! Yayyyy - WORDS!

Book Review: Am I Not A Man: The Dred Scott Story

2009-10-31T08:58:00.004-06:00

An illiterate slave, Dred Scott trusted in an all-white, slave-owning jury to declare him free. But after briefly experiencing the glory of freedom and manhood, a new state Supreme Court ordered the cold steel of the shackles to be closed again around his wrists and ankles. Falling to his knees, Dred cried, "Ain't I a man?" Dred answered his own question by rising and taking his fight to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dred ultimately lost his epic battle when the Chief Justice declared that a black man was so inferior that he had "no rights a white man was bound to respect."

Dred died not knowing that his undying courage led directly to the election of President Abraham Lincoln and the emancipation proclamation.Dred Scott's inspiring and compelling true story of adventure, courage, love, hatred, and friendship parallels the history of this nation from the long night of slavery to the narrow crack in the door that would ultimately lead to freedom and equality for all men.

There are so many things to be said about this book, it will be hard to narrow it to a helpful review!

For history buffs, which I think most people who pick this book up will be, this is a must have. It should be the staple of a historian's library, especially for those interested in the Civil War. I can see, and would highly recommend, Am I Not A Man being put to great use as required reading for college, or even high school, American History courses. The detail included of such a confusing time in US history is astounding.

I am not a history buff. And the entire thought of slavery ever being allowed in this, the home of the free, sickens me.

This story was almost agonizing for me to read. Not because of the writing style, which was excellent, but because this is a true story. Mark Shurtleff captured the person so well that you get to know these people, and this man who took the name of Dred, and it is almost as if it's happening to a dear friend!

Knowing that Dred died before the complete tale was told worried me when I first started reading. How can you possibly have a happy ending in that case? You can't really. The end may not be happy, but it is triumphant, and in this case, I think that is the better of the two options. Dred Scott's life, his persistance and determination to oppose the law peacefully instead of turning to violence, affected an entire nation. I am glad that his story was told, and not allowed to fall into obscurity, as I'm sure many, many others have done.

So - did I enjoy the book? Not exactly, but I am glad I read it.

Good for kids? Not remotely. There is nothing inappropriate in the writing, but the subject matter, and the cold, hard facts of what Dred and his family endured, are too much for young readers. Give this to history buffs, teach it in college classrooms, that is where it will do the most good!

Would I recommend it? HIGHLY.

Am I Not A Man? by Mark Shurtleff

Publisher: Valor Publishing Group; 1st edition (November 3, 2009)
ISBN-10: 1935546007
ISBN-13: 978-1935546009

Available to purchase at Amazon.com - Follow THIS LINK.

When It Rains, It Pours

2009-10-29T05:16:00.002-06:00

So, I signed up for NaNoWriMo. I'm totally stoked and the fires are burning, the kettle on the back burner is starting to steam. I've told my husband about my goal and he's on my side. It's gonna be good.

And then, the other day I get a notice in my email - a huge order (well, huge for me) for workbooks! Wonderful! So I spend an entire day putting those together. I can't have them professionaly bound, no one will put the rings on them that they are designed to have, so I print and compile them myself. I don't mind, it's not a gigantic amount of work, but it does take time.

Just finished those up last night and the neighbors come knocking on my door. We share a common interest in the Renaissance, and they asked if I could design/sew a tunic for him - and they need it by tomorrow afternoon. Of course I jumped at the chance, I love to sew as much as I love to write!

It never ceases to astound me how it's never one thing at a time. Oh, I don't mind, I love to be busy, and the timing isn't particularly bad. It's just that it seems to be feast or famine. I guess it's my turn for feasting...

Will somebody pass the salt, please?

Never Surrender Your Passion

2009-10-22T19:42:00.000-06:00

Beautiful and astounding, this video should remind everyone why we do what we do. Watch, and I hope you find the same amazing inspiration I did!

Let it Begin! Let it Begin!

2009-10-21T14:04:00.002-06:00

Well, I've done it now! I've officially signed up for NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month.

The entire idea behind it is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. That divies up to 1,667 words per day, every day of the month of November. You are not allowed to edit, you are only to write, word count is all that matters. It's about quantity - quality can come later. It's like a big "sit in" - but in this case it's a "write in" - the Woodstock of Writing! It's gonna be awesome!

The SLC region is having a kick off party here in South Jordan on the afternoon of the 31st - and I've RSVP'd. So I'm in as far as I can get.

Just today, a thought crossed my mind of what I should write. I've never actually put it down on paper because it's always seemed kinda corny, but what the heck? Maybe it'll end up a best seller. Probably not, but anything to get me back in the swing - because heaven knows my swing ain't been doin' much lately.

You're ALL invited to join me at NaNoWriMo - the more the merrier!

NaNoWriMo is Here Again!

2009-10-18T08:13:00.000-06:00

(click for more information!)

Adrift

2009-10-11T14:12:00.003-06:00

I have nothing I really, really want to write.

I have lots of things I could be working on, but nothing I'm just dying to dive into.

Is this writer's block, or something different?

My muse is FIRED!

406 Words

2009-10-07T22:35:00.001-06:00

Hey, it may not be much in the Grand Scheme of Things, but I'll take it!

One small step for mankind, one giant leap for ME...

I'm Being Bullied by a Blank Page!

2009-10-06T11:37:00.002-06:00

Ever noticed that the phase of the moon can really mess around with some things? Kids get cranky, electronics act up, all the weirdos come out of the woodwork. I'd love to blame the moon for this gihumongous case of writers block I have, but I don't think I'd get away with it, since this has been going on for a couple of months.

I sometimes wonder if I've written myself out. Have I exhausted my writers supply?

Is there any hope of ever enjoying opening my Word program again? Ever?

(Insert overdramatic sigh here!)

The Grand Adventure

2009-10-01T10:48:00.004-06:00

I think I've finally recovered enough to write about it. Our weekend vacation to California was nice, the drive home exhausting, but that isn't what caused the lack of blogging.

Last Monday, I found out that my nephew and his sweet wife were having a family crisis. He is an Iraqi veteran, and his wife is in the Navy. I'm being purposefully vague on the reason, but J. (the wife) ended up in the hospital, leaving N. (my nephew) torn between caring for his children and house and being with his wife who needed him by her side.Add a sudden transfer to another state, compliments of the Navy, and you can just imagine what kind of stress that young man was feeling!

They live in New York, while the rest of both of their families are on the west coast. With the situation and the distance, they were feeling rather desperate, and it quickly became apparent that there was only one person in the family that was in a position to help - me.

My sister is much older than I am, and married young, so her children are as close to my age as she is. Since they've always lived practically next door (in some cases literally next door) those three boys are like my little brothers instead of nephews. Of course I was going to help if I could.

Tuesday, Danny and I caught a plane to New York. Danny had never been on a plane before, so he was thrilled with the whole thing. I have never been further east than Wyoming, so it was something new for me, too. We stopped in Chicago, and had to catch a connecting flight in Baltimore, before we got to New York. It was a long flight, and Danny was as good as a five year old could possibly be.

We spent one day with N. and his three kids: E, W and V. Danny was so excited to meet cousins he hadn't met yet.

This is where the hard part really started. N. decided that the best course of action was to send his children to thier grandmothers so they would be taken care of by family so he could take care of his dear wife. I had only seen the oldest child, E, when she was three months old, now she was three years. We needed to get to know each other, and help them trust me - and fast.

Thursday, we - and by we I mean myself and four children under five - caught a plane. We were late getting to the airport to begin with, since we'd only purchased the tickets two hours before.

It went something like this:

-Run to the ticket counter
-Argue with the agent about why I needed a birth certificate for the youngest one
-Get boarding passes
-Run to security, where they would not let N escort me past
-Off with everyone's shoes and coats
-Send four little children through the detectors one at a time
-put everyone's shoes back on
-get everyone's carry-ons situated
-head for the gate
-DISCOVER MISSING BOARDING PASSES
-go back to security and search
-go to gate anyway, to find someone had found and turned in our passes
-get tags for stroller
-get to doorway to plane
-wait while stewards rearrange other passengers to get us four seats together
-situate oldest three while trying to hold 5 month old
-have upset 5 year old because he is sitting across the aisle and wants to sit with cousins
-finally take off, while holding 5 year old's hand across the aisle
-wait for seatbelt light to turn off, so I can switch places with 5 year old

IN Chicago we stayed on the plane, but I learned quickly to sit at the very back row of the plane, so kids could be closer to the bathroom. Something about take-off seems to activate childrens bladders. So we rearranged everything to relocate to the back row.

Halfway through the six hour flight between Chicago and Phoenix, V (5 months old) POO'd. She didn't just poo - she plopped a pile to rival a Texas Longhorn! Have you ever tried changing a diaper in an airplane bathroom? It's a fine art, let me tell you! She was so stinky, by the time I was done I threw everything she had been wearing away. I opened the bathroom door to ask for a plastic garbage bag, and the stewardess exclaimed:

"Whew! What are you feeding that child?!"

In Pheonix, we had to switch planes so:

-off the plane
-reconstruct stroller, which broke down into three pieces
-get all kids and carry-ons situated around said stroller
-walk as fast as three year old legs can go to completely different gate in completely different hallway
-repeat last half of first list

Happily, all three of the older kids slept the entire way from Phoenix to Portland.

I could not have done it without two of the most helpful, wonderful flight crews in the history of the world. They let the crews know that I'd be there with four kids. The stewards were absolutely wonderful! I don't think I could have done it without them! Kudos to Linda, Tim and Teisha of Southwest Airlines - you are all fabulous and you have the thanks of a grateful auntie!! And an equal thanks to all the passengers who were understanding and offered a hand!

So, finally in Oregon, we unloaded the kids, handed them off to grandmothers and spent a couple of days with my mother and sisters. Danny got to meet three more cousins, and even go to a birthday party at a park for one of them.

Sunday afternoon, we caught a flight home to SLC - both so tired we could hardly stand it. I've never been so glad to see Utah in my entire life! In five days we had traveled over 7,000 miles - twice across the width of this great country of ours. It was definitely an adventure, and a once in a lifetime experience, but I don't think I'd do it again if I could help it. Once in this lifetime is quite enough...

So there it is - the most extreme excuse for not posting on a blog ever heard! I think next time I'll stay home and settle for "the dog ate my computer"!

Please let me SLEEP!

2009-09-28T10:17:00.000-06:00

Hang in there with me one more day and I'll tell you all about our grand Adventure.

For today, have a great time watching this video!!

Something to give you a chuckle while I'm away...

2009-09-16T15:57:00.001-06:00

Take a minute to watch this, it's well worth it...

http://www.kens5.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=398663&shu=1

Neener Neener Neener!

2009-09-14T17:55:00.000-06:00

I'm in Californa! I'm in California!

Don't you wish you were?

Don't Forget! Book Academy Reminder

2009-09-09T10:04:00.003-06:00

You have until tomorrow to register for THE BOOK ACADEMY at the discounted rate of $40.

FOR MORE INFO, OR TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE!